Tucker Carlson said the left used to pretend that you have a right to think for yourself, something they are not even pretending to care about anymore. He said the current ruling class considers themselves gods who render their own judgment.

TUCKER CARLSON, FOX NEWS: Freedom of speech. A lot of people voted for Donald Trump in the hope they’d have more of it. Two years in, the opposite has happened. Our ruling class has clamped down as never before on personal expression. Gone is the free exchange of ideas we were promised as Americans. In its place: mandatory, soul-deadening conformity. An entire population forced to repeat the same mindless platitudes, or else. An axis of left-wing corporate power, academia, media, and lawmakers have aligned to curb your right to speak freely, which is to say, your right to think for yourself. When they control your words, they control your mind. The left used to deny that this was their goal. They’re not even pretending any more. They’re baring their teeth and snarling. Get in line or we’ll hurt you.

In a speech Monday night, CEO Tim Cook pledged that Apple, one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world, will do whatever it takes to silence dissenting opinions:

COOK: Hate tries to make its headquarters in the digital world. At Apple, we believe that technology needs to have a clear point of view on this challenge. There is no time to get tied up in knots. That's why we only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division and violence: You have no place on our platforms.

(APPLAUSE)

Hate. That’s what they call views they don’t like, or questions they can’t answer. Cook’s message is simple: we are holy; you are fallen. Shut up and obey. Corporate chieftains didn’t used to talk this way. They were in the business of selling products, not preaching sermons. Then, over time, conventional religion receded from public life, and people like Tim Cook stepped forward to fill the void. It wasn’t an upgrade. Apple has a lot more power than the Episcopal Church ever had, and much less humility and restraint. Leaders a hundred years ago could tolerate dissent. They believed God would sort it out in the end.

Members of our modern ruling class consider themselves gods. They render their own judgement. They view disagreement as equivalent to apostasy, an attack on the one true faith. In New York, to name but one example, a new bill in the state legislature would ban anyone who says something the left doesn’t like from buying a firearm. Prospective gun owners would be required to show their social media accounts to regulators, who would inspect them for unapproved thoughts. Sound like something the Chinese military thought up? Sure. But Democrats aren’t apologizing for it.

Listen to one of the sponsors of the bill explain:

PARKER: If we make this law and you have to allow the state government to look at your social media posts, you could decide on whether you want a pistol license or not. you don't have to have a pistol license."

True. You don’t have to vote, either, or go to the church or your choice, or be tried by a jury of your peers. What other constitutional rights will soon be contingent on saying the right things?